Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-10-14

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To convince themselves of the evils of
carpet bag government the people of
Dakota need go no farther than their
own law books, il they search for evil
dence to convince them of so palpable
condition. They will there find that their
legislatures have extended every possible
aid to irresponsible executive depart
ments in the formation OF laws and have
encouraged the alien representatives of
an iniquitous system to indulge In acts
which IN the states would amount to
asurpation. When we stop to consider
that the legislative department, in the
proper discharge OF it's duties, might de-
prive the carpet bag executive sent ont
from the states of all power for harm,
we can only wonder that the men elected
| by the people. to protect the interests OF
the people, have gone so far 10 the other
direction. Excess of power in the hands
of one man is dangerous bestowal,
even though that man is called te G pc
sition OF authority by the snffrages of
the people aud lie directly responsible TO
the people for his acts. But how much
more dangerous TO common safety it is to
grant authority almost unlimited to
man whose elevation to office is not
even based upon consultation of the
wishes of the people, Dakota is now
realizing. All our public affairs are to-
day in the hands OF stranger seut to us
from far away state and installed as
governor of Dakota merely because he
has contributed to the SUCCESS OF a
national political organization which has
no interest in our home affairs and
no sympathy for people wronged al
most beyond the point OF endurance.
| Our own Legislators have unwisely placed
this excess of power in the hands OF shis
alien when they would have more faith
fully represented their constituency had
they shorn him of every vestige OF au-
thority except the little conveyed by the
pointed.
The represen tativos of the people are
perhaps not so much to blamed for this
as might be supposed from a hesty view
OF the situation. They operate ander a
system OF government which can never
produce anything but bad results. They
assemble, few in number, once in every
two years, from an territory represented
by 15O 900 sqnare miles OF surface, and sit
in far away frontier town whers they are
most of the time out off from commute
cation by the storms of winter. They
are isolated from the people they repre-
sens and each carries with him belief
that he must labor for his own section
regardless of the common good To ac-
complish his purpose he must possess
| the active co operation of the alien
executive and to secure this must salts
fy the executive that he has something
to give in return. he must then enter
into like diplomatic arrangements with
his oo-laborers in the legislative field. By
the time the pins are all set up corruption
has stolen into the intentions OF the
representatives of the people and the
session becomes riot for plunder. The
taxpayer is the suf erer through indis.
terminate raids made upon the treasury
and the people are the sufferers through
unlimited power traded to carpet bag
governor for his support of individual
| 4 L, at,La.
/ SO it happens that carpet bagge
from far off state comes among us and
, speedily gathers into his hands the REIN
of unlimited and unrestricted power
over people who never asked him t,
preside over affairs of state.
3 This is condition Of evil from whicl
. Lit is desirable to extricate ourselves be
: fore our treasury becomes exhauste,
: and our public men completely prostitu
l ted to the base ases of an iniquitou
Q form of government. The remedy lie
= in division and statehood. Division, be
t cause We will thereby reduce the are
9 represented in oar legislative body, brin
Il the representative closer to his oonsti
8 tuency and render him more fully res
q ponsible to these who c4othe him wit
Il power to act--beoause it will elimInai
IS to large extent sectional ambition
o and bring the mass oi represantatio
n into closer alliance for common weal
is Statehood, because that condition wi
n give to us q constitution with it's in
o. pregnable restrictions against publ
b extrayaganoe and all forms Of usurp
% tion aud will enable US to choose by o.